Stevens’ graduate students gain professional industry experience
while studying for master’s degree
Graduate co-op education program covers eight areas of study
HOBOKEN, N.J. ― In January 2008 Stevens Institute of Technology introduced a pilot Graduate Cooperative Education Program. This program was developed as a joint effort of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Office of Cooperative Education and based on the successful undergraduate cooperative education model used at Stevens for twenty-three years.
The purpose of Graduate Co-op is to allow full-time students to complement their classroom studies with full-time, temporary positions directly related to their discipline and career goals. The experiment was initially limited to the graduate students studying towards a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Manufacturing (PME) or Mechanical Engineering. Since then six additional departments have introduced similar programs.
The Graduate Co-op Program has achieved steady growth, even in the current economy. During the fall semester 2009 fourteen PME students are working in various positions at pharmaceutical companies, as compared to the pilot group of five students in the fall 2008. In less than two years twenty-six PME students have been able to take advantage of the Co-op Program and gain valuable, professional experience.
Guidelines for Participation:
• Students must complete 2 consecutive full-time semesters of study and maintain a 3.5 GPA.
• Recommendations come from the student’s academic department and are competitive. Selection is based on academic performance and communication skills.
• Students attend a series of Workplace Preparation Meetings conducted by the Office of Cooperative Education. Topics covered include, Resume Writing, Interviewing Techniques, Making the Most of Your Co-op Assignment, and Ethics in the Work Place.
• The Co-op Staff works with participating employers and arranges for on-campus and on-site interviews to fill available positions.
• All Cooperative Education positions are full time for the duration of one semester or two consecutive semesters.
• In addition to maintaining regular contact with the students, the Co-op staff and Faculty Advisor conduct a mid-term site visit with each student and his or her manager.
• Co-op is a Pass/Fail academic course that appears on the student’s transcript.
The Graduate Co-op program is a partnership between Stevens, its students, staff, faculty and participating employers. All parties benefit from this partnership:
• Students gain valuable practical experience directly related to their field of study.
• Employers are provided with a constant stream of qualified, motivated students who serve as an excellent source of cost-effective coverage for technical staffing needs.
• Stevens Institute establishes contacts with industrial companies, improving our ability to prepare the future workforce, and allowing for the identification and conduction of joint projects.
For more information about Stevens’ Graduate Co-op Program please contact:
Erin Barron, Assistant Director - Office of Cooperative Education, Stevens Institute of Technology, Tel. 201.216.5686, ebarron@stevens.edu ; www.stevens.edu/co-op
About Stevens Institute of Technology
Founded in 1870, Stevens Institute of Technology is one of the leading technological universities in the world dedicated to learning and research. Through its broad-based curricula, nurturing of creative inventiveness, and cross disciplinary research, the Institute is at the forefront of global challenges in engineering, science, and technology management. Partnerships and collaboration between, and among, business, industry, government and other universities contribute to the enriched environment of the Institute. A new model for technology commercialization in academe, known as Technogenesis®, involves external partners in launching business enterprises to create broad opportunities and shared value.
Stevens offers baccalaureates, master’s and doctoral degrees in engineering, science, computer science and management, in addition to a baccalaureate degree in the humanities and liberal arts, and in business and technology. The university has a total enrollment of 2,150 undergraduate and 3,500 graduate students, with about 250 full-time faculty. Stevens’ graduate programs have attracted international participation from China, India, Southeast Asia, Europe and Latin America. Additional information may be obtained from its web page at www.stevens.edu.
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